Odd Socks

We all know that dryers eat socks. But what are the odds of my dryer eating the same type of sock out of 2 different pairs?! Let me explain....

A few months ago, I bought Amy Beth a pack of 0-6 mos.-size socks. There were various colors: white, blue, multi, etc. There was one pair that I particularly liked. They were white with a silky yellow flower sewn on the side of each sock. Because these socks were so tiny, I knew they would easily get eaten or otherwise lost in the wash, so I took them out of the package, checked to make sure each pair had 2 socks in them, and washed them by themselves. After they were washed, I then made sure to account for each sock as I transferred them from washer to dryer - all were present and accounted for. At this point I mistakenly assume I've covered my bases - that if they are still together at this point, they are bound to stay together ever after. Wrong!

I take the clean and now dry socks upstairs (I even used a basket so that I wouldn't accidentally drop any) and start to fold them to put in her drawer. I get to the pair with the yellow flower on the side - and one of them is missing!!!! How did that happen?? I look everywhere between where I took them out of the package, to the washer, the dryer, and the couch I was folding them on - nothing. However, a few days later, it turned up - in another load of laundry! The only thing I can figure is the dryer didn't like the taste of that sock and regurgitated it with the next load of laundry.

So then the other day, I buy Amy Beth some new socks - the 6-18 mos. size (which doesn't seem possible that I am already buying socks that big. I mean, I just gave birth to her last week, didn't I?) but it was basically the same kind of socks, because I liked them so much. It had another pair of white socks with the yellow applique, except it was a yellow bow instead of a flower. I went through the same precautions as last time - and still ended up missing a sock - from the SAME pair as last time!!! I mean, what are the odds people?!?!?!?

Perhaps I should go throw another load in the dryer and see if this sock gets regurgitated, too.

Socks and a Playhouse

It's neat how God provides for His children when we let Him. I have been needing some new socks for quite a while. Almost every pair of my plain white socks had a hole in them. (When I was little, socks with holes in them were a treasured thing. I called them "Grandpa socks" because whenever my beloved grandpa took off his cowboy boots, he would have a hole in each sock. "So his toes could breath" he said.) Even Preston kept telling me to go buy some socks. But there were always more important things for us to spend our money on, and we are trying to be better stewards of our money by not spending it on things we don't actually need right this minute. Sure, my socks were a bit holey, but they were still basically doing their job. So, I didn't think that much about it.

Meanwhile, I am meeting a friend of mine twice a week to work out. We are working out to "Dance Praise", which is so much fun. I've never had so much fun exercising in my life! (Of course, doing anything with Meredith makes it more fun. It's just the kind of person she is.) In order to use the mats that we "dance" on, we have to be in our sock feet. We've been doing this for about 3-4 weeks now. Last Thursday, when I got to her house, she said, "I have a surprise for you!" And handed me a pack of brand new socks! I laughed so hard! No one has ever gifted me socks before! She said she saw them and just thought of me. (more likely she noticed my holey socks and felt sorry for me. Ha ha.)


So God provided socks for me. And not just any socks, but the best, comfiest socks I have ever owned! They are Hanes Sport socks with arch support. I now come home and put them on instead of my slippers. You may be thinking, "Why would God care about your socks?" My answer is because He knows the number of hairs on my head, and yours, and He cares about every detail of our lives. He knew that it would increase my faith. It was like He was saying, "See, Jennifer? If I care enough to provide you with something as small as new socks - in a way that you didn't even consider- how much more will I provide for the things you and your family really need?"

As if that wasn't enough, God also provided a fun thing for the boys. We have a couple of friends who have those big, plastic, play houses in their yards, and whenever we visit any of those friends, the boys spend most of their time in the playhouse. That took me by surprise because I thought it would be too girly to interest them. Of course, they don't sit in them and have a tea party or anything, but instead play typical boy stuff (pretend it's the fire or police station, act like there's a big storm coming and shake the house by banging on the walls, Harris enjoys climbing on the roof and pretending he's a giant, etc). So for a while now, I have been on the lookout for a used playhouse for our back yard. They have had several at Kid's Market, but they have always been a bit outside my price range. Well, a friend of mine moved last week, and they decided to sell their playhouse instead of trying to move it. She was asking a very good price for it, so I discussed it with Preston and we decided to buy it. However, the next time I see her, she tells me to just come get it and not worry about the money. I asked what she meant by that, just to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding what she was saying, and she said she felt like she was supposed to give it to us!

So, God provided me with something I sort of needed but wasn't too concerned about, and something fun for my kids all within the same week! Isn't He good? God is a loving Father who gives good gifts to His children - the best gift of course was the gift of salvation through His Son's death on the Cross. Praise the Lord!